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Swine Flu/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim is frying bacon in his kitchen. TIM: Hey, Moby. Want some-- Moby zips into the kitchen and sits at the table, knife and fork in hand. There is a plate on the table in front of him. TIM: --breakfast? Huh... MOBY: Beep!! Moby is excited and ready to eat. TIM: All right, all right. Here you go. Tim puts two slices of bacon on Moby's plate. MOBY: Beep. Moby frowns and hides under the table. TIM: Moby? Moby looks up at Tim from under the table. Moby is wearing a surgical mask. TIM: What's wrong? MOBY: Beep. Moby hands Tim a sheet of paper. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Lately I've been hearing about this swine flu outbreak. I'm scared. Can you tell me more about it? From, Kathleen. Oh. There have been a lot of worries about a recent swine flu outbreak. That's when a disease spreads suddenly across a population. An animation uses simple drawings of people to represent how an outbreak spreads from one person to many. TIM: But guess what? You can't get it from eating bacon or any other properly-cooked pork product, for that matter. An image shows two slices of fried bacon. A second image shows a well-cooked pork chop. TIM: So you can, um, come out now. Moby hesitantly comes out from under the table and looks at his plate. TIM: In fact, scientists are now convinced that this isn't technically a swine flu. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, like other types of flu, this one is caused by the influenza virus. There are many strains, or versions, of influenza virus, each slightly different than the others. An animation shows a group of assorted microscopic viruses. TIM: Some of them make humans sick, giving us the combination of fever, coughing, body aches, upset stomach, vomiting, and diarrhea that we call the flu. Images show an oral thermometer, a person coughing, an aching elbow, an upset stomach, a kid with a green face, and a roll of toilet paper. TIM: Some strains affect mostly birds, giving them avian flu. And swine flu comes from strains that usually only infect pigs. An animation shows a chicken and a pig in a farmer's field. TIM: But occasionally, flu viruses that are normally associated with animals can change, or mutate, into new strains that can infect humans, too! An animation shows Tim in his bed with the flu. TIM: Health officials believe that this new strain of influenza is actually a combination of four different flu viruses, including two swine, one avian, and one human. An animation represents four types of flu virus coming together to form a new strain. TIM: That's why it's not even called swine flu anymore. Instead, scientists refer to the virus as novel H1N1, or 2009 H1N1. An animation shows a flu virus as a cartoon character being photographed for a public safety department mug shot. Text on the mug shot reads: Novel H1N1 aka Swine Flu. MOBY: Beep. Moby is still wearing his surgical mask. TIM: Well, once the virus mutated, it's possible that it spread from infected pigs to farmers who had direct contact with them. An animation shows a farmer standing among his pigs. TIM: Eventually, the virus began passing from one human to another. An animation uses graphics to represent the spread of H1N1 from person to person. TIM: The first cases were reported in Mexico, but it's not clear yet if that's where this variety of H1N1 originated. An animated world map indicates two H1N1 outbreaks in Mexico and one in the western United States. There is a question mark at each location. TIM: Wherever it first started, it quickly spread through North America and on to countries around the world. Many more H1N1 outbreaks spread out from the original three outbreak locations, appearing all over the world map. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. H1N1 can spread just like any other flu. When an infected person sneezes or coughs, he releases virus-filled droplets into the air that can easily find their way into other people's bodies. An animation shows people in a building. Outside it is snowing lightly. A woman coughs. A green fog represents the droplets that Tim describes. Others breathe in the droplets and also begin to cough. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, normally the flu just makes you sick for a week or so, and then you get better. But in rare cases, and especially with new virus strains, the flu can be dangerous, even deadly. For one thing, our immune systems need time to develop new defenses against new strains. An animation depicts a human immune system doing research on a computer, trying to learn about a new virus. TIM: So even healthy people can become really sick if they get infected, because their bodies don't know how to fight the virus off. An animation shows a sick young girl in a classroom. She holds her hand over her mouth as she coughs. TIM: But also, when a new flu strain arrives on the scene, scientists need time to develop a treatment that will work against it. An animation shows researchers in a medical laboratory. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Actually, no. If you get a flu shot before an outbreak of a new strain of flu, it won't help, because your shot only protected for older strains. An image shows a doctor giving a boy a flu shot. TIM: Without proper defenses, a new virus can quickly multiply, invade other tissues and organs, and spread from person to person. An animation depicts the spread of a virus among several people. TIM: This can lead to an epidemic, a major outbreak of a disease in one region or country. An animated world map shows a series of flu outbreaks in North America. TIM: In more serious situations, it can even lead to a pandemic, a worldwide outbreak that can affect millions of people. This particular outbreak spread far enough in just a few months to be declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Additional outbreaks appear around the world. MOBY: Beep. Moby crouches behind the kitchen table. TIM: Um, I guess this is the right time to say that it's important not to panic. For one thing, the term pandemic only refers to how far a disease has spread, not its severity. The vast majority of H1N1 flu cases have been mild, and most people who have gotten sick are recovering just fine. And the number of severe and deadly cases is actually much lower than what we see during a normal flu season. Still, health officials are worried that the virus could mutate further and come back stronger during future flu seasons. That's why organizations like the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control have been working around the clock to track the virus's spread. An animation shows a team of medical researchers in a computer-filled office, tracking the worldwide spread of the H1N1 virus. TIM: There are also anti-flu treatments that will work to counter the effects of the current H1N1 flu. An image shows a prescription medicine bottle. TIM: And scientists have created a vaccine that can prevent people from getting it in the first place. An animation shows a needle going into an arm and its syringe releasing a vaccine. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Sure, there are plenty of other ways to protect yourself. Maintaining good personal hygiene is a start. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you feel a cough or sneeze coming on. An image shows Tim, ill in his bed, sneezing into a tissue. TIM: Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth too often, and wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Images show an eye, a nose, a mouth, and a pair of hands that are being washed. TIM: And if you're feeling sick, do your classmates and teachers a favor and stay home until you feel better! An animation shows a sick young girl at home in bed. MOBY: Beep. Moby points to the surgical mask he is wearing. TIM: Well, in places that have been hit more directly with H1N1 flu, people have been using face masks for extra protection. An animation shows a crowd of people on the street. They are wearing the same kind of surgical face mask as Moby. TIM: But in the U.S., it hasn't gotten to the point where you'll need one. The best we can do is take care to protect ourselves and stay informed. Right, Moby? Moby has removed his surgical mask and is eating the bacon from his plate. Tim suddenly notices that Moby has also eaten the bacon from Tim's plate. TIM: You, you swine!! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts